Apologetics Lesson for Youth – Faith Is Not Wishing

How to Teach Apologetics to Teenagers

How should I teach apologetics to teenagers? That’s a question I was faced with when I was invited to introduce apologetics into the curriculum at Mosaic Christian Academy. Here’s what I did:

I lead an 8-week apologetics discussion series for high school students and it was very well-received. Much of our discussion focused on helping students identify and analyze relativistic ideas that show up in current events, while talking with friends, and in the popular media.

Talking About Biblical Faith

Last time, I wrote about teaching apologetics to teenagers by incorporating ice cream into a lesson on truth. Today, I’ll tell you about what I would have done differently to help kids remember the second phrase I first learned years ago from Greg Koukl: “Faith is not wishing.”

But first, let me explain this idea.

What the Bible calls “faith,” isn’t a blind leap in the dark. It isn’t like wishing upon a star. It’s the kind of trust or confidence that’s based on knowledge that comes from evidence.

For example, if I hoped with all my might that a new guitar amp (like a sweet Vox AC30 Custom Classic) would show up on my doorstep tomorrow, all the positive thinking in the world wouldn’t come close to what the Bible calls faith.

But if I actually ordered a new amp online, got the tracking number, saw it had been delivered to the front door, and then got a call from my wife saying my amp showed up, I’d have more and more confidence that a new amp was in fact delivered to my home even if I wasn’t physically looking at it yet. This is more like what the Bible calls faith. [Related Post: A Story About Faith – How to Illustrate Biblical Faith]

Here’s how Scripture defines faith in Hebrews 1:11:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

The phrase, “Faith is not wishing,” helps us remember that biblical faith is confidence based on evidence.

Lesson for Teaching Apologetics to Teenagers

If we did this again, I’d supplement the ice cream I talked about in my previous post with having kids blow out birthday candles on cupcakes to help us remember that faith isn’t wishing. The learning team had a lot of fun working on their project, even tough I think they overdid the glitter a bit!

Teaching tip: Incorporating cake and ice cream into your apologetics lessons for teenagers can help them discuss relativism and clarify the biblical view of faith in a fun and memorable way.

Youth Leaders: Want to Help Your Teenagers Defend the Faith with Confidence?

Download the accessible 5 to 10-week series for youth. You’ll be ready to lead 5 engaging lessons–complete with teaching notes, handouts, PowerPoint presentations and more. Great for teaching apologetics to teenagers!